Niagara Falls, NY – Happy Monday. Welcome to the first Monday in February. One month down and eleven more to go. On tap for today: Bills Hire Joe Brady, Knicks Recap, Rangers Update.
Bills Hire Joe Brady
So, the Bills hired their new head coach, and it was their offensive coordinator. Joe Brady has been promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach. Brady was once the star-boy of coaches, then he stalled out in Carolina. He then moved to Buffalo to be the quarterbacks coach, and when Sean McDermott got rid of the previous offensive coordinator, Brady moved up to that role. He is talented, [I guess], and the Bills’ offensive struggles seem to be ignored because he’s young and is going to be a new voice. I really don’t know how this is going to go, because I thought a new person with a new vision would be the move. This just feels like President of Football Operations Brandon Beane wanted McDermott, just a different version of McDermott. So, Brady starts his first coaching job with a very good team. We’ll have to see who they draft, if Brady can turn this thing into a winner, who they get for OC, and what changes he makes to the defense.
Knicks Recap
The Knickerbockers are on a six-game win streak, climaxing with yesterday’s big win against the LA Lakers. The Lakers are only the #6 seed in the West, but anytime you can run a streak against the Lakers, it’s a big deal—especially on national television. What’s been important during this win streak is that the Knicks have had injuries, and different people have stepped up. Mitchell Robinson to Tyler Kolek last night, and Landry Shamet with his big output. The Knicks are looking like they’re back to their best, which is a big sign. They’re still #3 in the East and trying to push forward—I don’t know about the #2 or #1 seed, but these are all very good signs for the first half of the season.
Rangers Update
These Rangers are so frustrating. Due to their inconsistency and sloppy play, it looks like they’ll be fighting to be a low seed in the playoffs. As such, it looks like they’re going to move the “Bread Man,” Alexei Panarin, which has me incredibly upset. They will need to move him if they cant find a way to play more consistent better hockey. The play has just been so sloppy over the last few weeks—a month, even. I’m talking about dangerous cross-ice passes in our own zone, failing to get the puck out under pressure. The goalie makes a great save, but they are out of position and nobody’s protecting the back door, so a rebound turns into a pass across and there’s a goal. They lost the season series to the Islanders, which is incredibly upsetting, and I don’t know how many more times I can put up with this. They still seem to have a chance for the playoffs, so I’m still on board, but not sure for how much longer.
That’s it for now, come back tomorrow for more in-depth analysis with Ben Whitney… if he is still with us?
